Sunday was a day of rest for the Calgary Flames, and no player needed it more than Michael Cammalleri.

“I’m not going to lie. I’m pretty beat,” said the team’s newest skater as he wound up the post-game media session following Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. “Usually, I like to work out after home games, but I’m gonna see about taking off. My central nervous system is pretty shot.

“I felt good out there, but ... ”

After the week Cammalleri had, the fatigue was understandable.

Let’s recap the previous few days.

- Wednesday: After being serenaded by a chorus of boos from Montreal Canadiens fans in his team’s defeat to the St. Louis Blues the night before, he sets off a firestorm by saying the Habs’ struggles are partially a result of a losing mentality.

- Thursday: First, he tries to clarify those words from the day before, which were translated from English to French and back to English. Then, he plays two periods in the Canadiens loss to Boston before being told to return to the hotel because he’d been traded. He’d soon learn his destination was Calgary. Thus, another wave of interviews along with making arrangements to return to the Flames.

- Friday: Makes his way from Boston to Calgary, via a delayed flight from Toronto. Arrives at dinner time, talks to the media, again, and checks into a hotel.

- Saturday: Scores the lone Flames goal in the loss to the Kings, although he is also guilty of a poor turnover, which leads to the game-winning goal and is minus-2.

Talk about a wild few days.

“Hard to handle. We play a team sport, and it honestly feels like too much attention for one person,” Cammalleri said. “I don’t want that much attention. It’s been a lot to handle.

“You know me, I have no problem talking to you guys, but right now, I’d like to be done with it for a few days, not have a microphone in my face, and just play hockey.”

Those days will come again soon enough. In fact, the team’s coming three-game road trip should provide the perfect tonic for the 29-year-old left-winger who just started his second tour of duty with the Flames.

But that’s not to say the off-ice aspects can be swept aside, and we’re not just talking about being in the media spotlight with the expectations placed upon a skater who netted 39 goals during the 2008-09 season in Calgary before departing for the Canadiens as a free-agent with a five-year, US$30-million contract.

Cammalleri is well-versed in that part of NHL life. In fact, not many players have embraced the scrutiny in Calgary over the years as well as he did in that first stint.

However, Cammalleri has another big off-ice issue to deal with in the next while.

He and his longtime girlfriend, Jennifer, celebrated the birth of their daughter five months ago, so Cammalleri can’t wait to reunite his

family.

“It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” said Cammalleri, whose face lights up at the thought of his daughter. “That’s the only thing bothering me right now. It would have been nice to see them, even really quickly, before coming here.

“But we’ll get them out here as soon as we can, hopefully before the all-star break, and then we can spend that time together.”

Thus, a need to find a place to call home, even if it’s just for a few months.

“My first order of business is to call Bourquey (Rene Bourque, who went to the Canadiens in the trade). I have a condo and a house that I’m building in Montreal, and I know he just built one here. Maybe we can arrange something,” Cammalleri said. “We have to find a house here to settle into as a family, somewhere we can have the grandparents in a lot.”